Wheel press



Nov. 29, 1949 C. L. RADER WHEEL PREss Filed Feb. 28. 1947 ml. nu HIIHI 1! Fri 1 47 I t I A 4! 15 m NW W I I W 1 W I I n' y I :50 y h 13 ,7 44

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Patented Nov. 29, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WHEEL PRESS Charles L. Rader, Indianapolis, Ind.

Application February 28, 1947, Serial No. 731,493

4 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for repairlug automobile wheels which have become damaged, especially for straightening such wheels when they have been bent.

The invention is applicable to most types of automobile wheels, and is of special use on the pressed steel wheels which are now in quite general use, because such wheels will bend when subjected to damaging forces, and may be restored to service by straightening the bends.

Many straightenin operations require that the wheel'be held rigidly by its normal mounting portions, and that suitable force be applied at the proper place and in the proper direction to return the wheel to serviceable condition. Care must be taken to make the wheel true, and true with respect to the parts by which it is normally mounted on the automobile.

Such straightening operations may be greatly facilitated by provisions for frequent and accu-.

rate checking during the process of straighten ing. It is the object of my invention to provide simple, sturdy, and efficient apparatus which may be readily used to hold the wheel in rigid position for straightening and which will readily permit frequent and accurate checking of the straightening process. It is a special object of the invention to provide for holding the wheel by its normal mounting portions, in position and with sufficient rigidity to receive straightening forces, .by holding mechanism which will permit the operator to spin the wheel for checking its trueness, without removing it from its holder. It is an object of my invention to provide an improved spindle for so holding and checking the wheel; and to associate such mechanism in a unitary press with other parts to provide complete straightening equipment on which all straightening operations may be conveniently carrled out.

In accomplishing these objects, I provide a press with a vertical spindle which supports a turntable upon which a wheel to be straightened may be mounted, and associate in cooperative relation therewith a special worktable and supporting bed for a press jack. The spindle is mounted on antifriction bearings, to permit free spinning of the wheel for checking trueness, and the whole rotatable assembly may be lowered against a spring, by means acting against a fixed part of the press frame, to draw the turntable against a fixed plate on the press bed. By Jhis means, when the looking mechanism is released, the spindle assembly is freely rotatable with minimum frictional drag; yet when the spindle assembly is locked, the turntable is supported b rigid means and the locking reaction is taken by fixed parts of the press, so that n undue force is imposed on the anti- -friction bearings.

mounted on two spaced sets of ball bearings the inner races of which slidably receive the spindle shaft. The spindle is urged upwardly to spinning position by a spring reactin against the inner race of the lower set of ball bearings, and its raised position is determined by a sleeve adjustably held on the spindle shaft to engage the lower surface of that same inner race. The locking mechanism draws the spindle shaft downward to rigidly seat the turntable, and while this compresses the spring and imposes the spring reaction on the lower set of anti-friction bearings, this reaction is limited to spring reaction, which may be made to fall Well within the capacity of the hearing.

The accompanying drawing illustrates my invention. In such drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a press embodying my invention; and Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the axis of the spindle thereof.

The press shown in the drawing comprises a frame I0 formed of a pair of upright standards ll interconnected at their upper ends by a cross head [2, and there below by a bed support l3, both cross head and bed support conveniently being formed of pairs of channel members placed on edge. The standards H are provided with suitable feet 14, and desirabl are interconnected near their lower ends by a bracing member l5, which may be in the form of a side channel placed to open upwardly to form a convenient shelf for tools.

The spindle 28 is mounted vertically, somewhat to the right of the center of the bed. A lower plate 21 is secured to the lower sides of the bed supports I3, and is formed to receive the outer race 22 of the lower set of ball bearings. A bed plate I6 is mounted on the upper surface of the bed supports l3 and is provided with an opening to ;pass the spindle shaft 25. An upper spindle support 26 is supported by walls ll on the bed plate l6, and is formed to receive the outer race 32 of the upper set of ball bearings. The upper end of the spindle shaft 25 is slidably received in the inner race 33 of the upper set of ball bearings. The lower end of the spindle 25 is reduced, to form a shoulder 21 between the two sets of bearings, and the reduced end of the spindle is slidably received in the inner race 23 of the lower set of bearings. A spring pad 28 is mounted on the spindle shaft 25 against the shoulder 21, a second spring pad 29 is slidably received on the reduced end of the spindle shaft 25, in engagement against the inner race 23 of the lower set of ball bearings, and a coil spring 38 is mounted between the two pads. Below the lower ball bearings the spindle shaft 25 carries a sleeve 3| held in adjustable position thereon by abutment against a washer 34 held in place by lock nuts 35.

The turntable 40 of the spindle assembly is desirably includes a depending rim to protect the seat. When the shaft is in raised position, the turntable "it! is well out of engagement with the underlying surface of the upper spindle support A locking cam 52 is mounted about the sleeve 3! on the lower end of the spindle shaft 25, and is held thereon by the washer 34. The fixed cam plate id is mounted on the lower cross member. The cam member 42 is provided with a handle it by which it may be rotated manually, and camrning surfaces are provided between the member 52 and the plate 43, so that as the member 42 is rotated, as through about 90 degrees, the lower end of the spindle shaft 25 is forced downwardly. This draws the turntable into firm supporting engagement against the upper spindle support 26, and locks the spindle against rotation. When in released position, the locking cam may be held disengaged, as by supporting the handle at in a clip carried below the bed members With the camming member 42 in unlocked position, the spring 30 forces the shaft upwardly until it is stopped by the engagement of the sleeve 31 with the inner race 23 of the lower set of ball bearings. That race is then held in a fixed position with respect to the shaft 25, and all of the spring reaction is taken by the sleeve 3|. In such case, the antl-frietion bearings carry the load of the spindle itself, and of any Wheel and wheel locking devices which may be mounted on it, but the bearings are free from other load, and permit the wheel to be spun freely to check its trueness.

When the camming member 42 is moved to locking position, the locking reaction is taken by the cam plate 13 and by the upper surface of the fixed support 26. The spring 30 of such circumstance is somewhat compressed, and its reaction is now taken by the lower spindle bearing. The force of the spring, however, need only be sufficient t dequately support the spindle and the vheel-mounting devices carried by the Hence, the spring force may be relatively small and may impose upon the lower bearing no substantially greater load during locking position of the spindle than such bearing must carry when the spindle is in spinning position.

In the press, the space at one side of the spindle support structure is open, so that a press jack may be supported on the bed plate It to exert upward force on a wheel 46 mounted on the spindie. At the other side of the spindle supporting parts, the press is provided with a table 41, lying sufficiently below the level of the turntable 40 to clear a wheel mounted thereon. Such table may serve as an additional support for the wheel, either when it may be desired to exert downward pressure thereon from the upper press jack 48 on the cross head 52 of the frame, or when the press jack 45 exerts upward pressure on the other side of the wheel. The table 41 serves also to support supplementary equipment, such as forming blocks, which may be used with the upper press jack 48.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a wheel straightening press, a spindle, a turntable fixed thereon for supporting a wheel to be straightened, a rigid support for said turntable, a pair of vertically spaced sets of antifriction bearings for said spindle, the lower set of anti-friction bearings including an inner race which slidably receives the spindle, a spring arranged to urge such spindle upwardly and to react against the inner race of the lower set ofantifriction bearings, a stop carried by said spindle to engage said inner race and limit upward movement of said spindle, and means reacting against a fixed member for drawing said turntable into engagement with said rigid support.

2. In a wheel straightening press, a spindle, a turntable fixed thereon for supporting a wheel to be straightened, a pair of vertically spaced anti-friction bearings supported in said press,

said spindle being supported for rotation by said bearings and being vertically movable, one of said bearings having an inner race which slidably receives the spindle, means to yieldingly support said spindle in raised position from said inner race, a rigid seat for said turntable, and means reacting against a fixed member and drawing said spindle downwardly to move said turntable into rigid support on said seat.

3. In a wheel straightening press, a spindle, a turntable fixed thereon for supporting a wheel to be straightened, a rigid seat for said turntable, anti-friction bearings for said spindle, lock ing means for drawing said spindle downwardly to hold said turntable in supported engagement on said seat, and means operable when said locking means is released to support said spindle and turntable in a raised spinning position, one of the anti-friction bearings for said spindle having an inner race with respect to which the spindle is axially movable, and said last named means being rotatable with said spindle and supporting said spindle from said inner race.

l. In a wheel straightening press, a vertical spindle, a turntable fixed on said spindle for supporting a wheel to be straightened, anti-friction bearings for said spindle, a rigid seat underlying said turntable, means for supporting said spindle and turntable in a raised spinning position, means for drawing said turntable downwardly against its seat, a press table positioned at one side of said spindle axis to underlie a wheel mounted on said turntable, and a lower presse jack supporting bed on the opposite side of said spindle.

CHARLES L. RADER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,650,216 Ingham Nov. 22, 1927 2,057,200 McCarthy Oct. 13, 1936 2,233,371 Smith Feb. 25, 1941. 2,261,246 Fried Nov. 4, 1941 2,282,118 Daniel May 5, 1942 

